swimsuit addict

Early beach swim

I had a nice swim at the beach today. I went out early, and spent some time lounging on the uncrowded sands before swimming out to the Wonder Wheel and back. I had originally planned on going to the pier, but it is still under construction after part of it was washed away during Hurricane Sandy. This morning there was a big barge out there with a crane, and they were driving pilings into the ocean bed at the far end of the pier. It was extremely loud underwater, and I figured it was probably best not to get too near whatever was being stirred up by the activity, so I turned around a bit early.

The water was very green today, and there was a west wind creating some fun swells that were breaking over my head on the way out. Coming back was super fast and easy, with the wind and current carrying me along almost effortlessly. The water was around 63, and I felt comfortable and calm the whole way. I had to leave earlier than I wanted—there were tons of CIBBOWS out, and I would have liked to stay longer and visit.

I’ve been all quiet on the blog front recently, mostly because this week has been light on the swimming, and the workouts I’ve done haven’t been that interesting. My big news is that I ran—yes ran!--a 5k race Wednesday evening. I’m not at all a runner—my training for this consisted of jogging a mile on Monday afternoon—and I wasn’t at all sure if I would be able to run the entire way. I did, almost—it was a hilly course, and my husband, who was volunteering at the race, suggested that I walk the uphills if I wasn’t feeling confident in my conditioning. So I did that for a couple of hills on the first half of the out-and-back course, but on the way back I was feeling really great so I just ran the whole way. And it was really fun! My very conservative goal was to finish in less than half the time it took me to swim a 5k a few weeks ago (did I mention I’m not a runner?), and I beat that handily. And the race itself was just a joy to be a part of—the sort of small informal affair (less than 100 runners) that can be hard to come by in the city. (For comparisons sake, the Chase Corporate Challenge on the same night drew over 15,000). I’ve now ordered some real running shoes and am looking forward to adding that activity to my training occasionally, since I enjoyed it so much during the race.

Next week we’ll be visiting my husband’s family in Columbus, and I’m looking forward to getting in a swim at Alum Creek State Park. Has anyone out there ever swum there?

Comments

Running!? My goal the last time I ran was to be able to run at least half the distance that I swam in one go the previous week. It didn't happen. It made me feel like a mere mortal again. Would not recommend it to others.